


Like Father

by ancalime8301



Category: Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Genre: Alternate Universe, Childhood, Community: watsons_woes, Gen, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-16
Updated: 2015-07-16
Packaged: 2018-04-09 13:53:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4351373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ancalime8301/pseuds/ancalime8301
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Watson is determined not to be like his father and his brother.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like Father

**Author's Note:**

> Contains some possibly implausible/incorrect inferences about Watson's family, so I'm calling it AU just to be safe. Written for [](http://watsons-woes.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://watsons-woes.livejournal.com/)**watsons_woes** July Writing Prompt #15: _That Old Saying. The old Egyptian saying "ابن الوزّ عوّام. (ibn il-wazz 3awwam.) ("The son of a goose is a swimmer.") is roughly the same sentiment as the English "Like father, like son." Whether it's one of these statements or another adage, include some classic saying in today's entry. Bonus points if you also manage to include a goose!_  
> 

_Like father, like son._  
A chip off the old block.  
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

The phrases haunted Watson as he grew up under his father's frequently inebriated hand. His brother was indifferent; he and their father had never got on well and as far as he was concerned, the sooner their old man drank himself into the grave, the better.

Watson's brother was away at school enjoying the company more than his studies when their father died. He would have returned home, but their mother insisted that he finish his degree. Watson worried about his mother's poor health and was distraught when she died during his second term at university.

His brother happily dropped all pretense of being a student and returned home to fulfill the duties of eldest son. Evidently those duties included profligate spending and gambling, more drinking than was generally acceptable, and keeping bad company. Townsfolk shook their heads when talking about the eldest Watson boy.

Watson saw his brother's example and was careful not to follow it. He eventually decided to follow his degree in medicine by going into the Army; not only would he be useful, he was guaranteed a steady income so long as he lived within his means.

He was determined not to be like his father, like his brother.


End file.
